The Advantages of Not Being Married

by Kristen Moutria

You can freely enjoy opposite-sex relationships if you decide not to marry.

There are many advantages to staying single. Even if people all around you are getting married, the truth is that many people make the decision to hold off on making this lifetime commitment, and others decide against it altogether. While there are definitely benefits to marrying, for some people, the cons of marriage outweigh the pros. The advantages of not being married include no risk of divorce, time to explore your passions, the opportunity to build a solid foundation for your life and the ability to enjoy opposite-sex relationships.

No Risk of Divorce

It may seem like an insignificant reason to avoid marrying, but the truth is that marriage can often lead to a messy and painful divorce. According to an April 2007 article in "USA Today," psychology professor Richard Lucas of Michigan State University analyzed 20 years of data from 70,000 households in Germany and Great Britain and discovered that among singles, those who had never married reported the highest rate of well-being compared to those who had been married and experienced a divorce. Ending a marriage will leave you feeling sad, empty and confused. Being single and staying that way may give you a greater chance at feeling good about yourself.

Time to Explore Your Passions

If you stay single, you will have more time and resources to devote to yourself and your passion. You will also be able to establish your identity completely and recognize what you are truly passionate about. Men and women today expect to achieve an autonomous, individual identity before entering into a relationship, according to the "Knot Yet" project, which analyzes the significance of the rising marriage age for men and women in their 20s. This will give you the opportunity to try out various possibilities for your life and relationships and help you decide if you even want to get married.

Opportunity to Build a Foundation

Not getting married will give you the chance to build a solid foundation for yourself, whether it be financially, academically or any other way. Perhaps you need time to establish yourself in your job or find out what you truly want to spend the rest of your life doing. If you get married, you sacrifice some of your own dreams for the dreams of your partner, and you put your ambitions on hold for the good of both of you. Spouses may have the same dreams and visions, but the chances of that are slim. Independence will give you the most freedom to become who you want to be.

Relationships With the Opposite Sex

If you do not get married, you will be able to enjoy relationships with the opposite sex without feeling guilty. Many married people spend more time with their friends at work than with their spouse at home, according to Diane Gottsman, a nationally recognized etiquette expert and owner of The Protocol School of Texas, in "Hitched." Furthermore, social media is another way that interaction with all different types of people is encouraged. This may lead to temptation or feelings of jealousy in your spouse when he realizes that you must spend a large part of your day interacting with members of the opposite sex. If you do not get married, you are free to pursue as many of these types of friendships as you want and choose to enter into a relationship if you wish.